1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus, systems and methods for conducting games of chance and, in particular, apparatus, systems and methods involving gaming machines which may be linked together for competitive play in a feature event.
2. State of the Art
Various electronic gaming systems and their associated apparatus and methods of use are well-known in the art. Examples of several patents describing games of chance include U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,820 to Morro et al. (slot machine-puzzle game combination), U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,536 to Davids et al. (electronic card games), U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,460 to Fulton (video poker game), U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,716 to Saffari et al. (“falling symbol” game), U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,970 to Fioretti (“Methods and Apparatus for Playing Bingo Over a Wide Geographic Area”), U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,868 to Goldfarb (“Method of Playing a Game of Chance at Locations Remote from the Game Site”), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,787 to Itkis (“Concurrent Game Network”), the disclosures of each of which patents are incorporated herein by reference.
Gaming establishments continually search for new games to pique players' interest so as to encourage the players to spend more time wagering. Players losing interest in a gaming machine will cease play, which often times causes the gaming machine to go idle and to fail to contribute to the revenue stream to the casino. Furthermore, interested players may tend to be more active and consistent in the play of their respective machines and consequently tend to play faster, thus enhancing the potential profit of the machine. One strategy for stimulating player interest includes offering the potential for larger or more frequent payoff awards. A second proven strategy involves the introduction of new games of chance designed to entice players by appealing to their sense of novelty. A third strategy is to foster a casino patron's sense of competition by offering games in which the players compete against and/or team with other players, Games of chance which combine the above-identified strategies, however, are lacking in the art.
In an attempt to maintain a player's interest by increasing the size of potential payoffs and through quasi-competition, progressive jackpots are commonly utilized by casinos. Progressive jackpots usually involve a number of electronically linked-together gaming machines, with players at those gaming machines competing to win a relatively large progressive jackpot in addition to nonjackpot winnings at each individual gaming machine. The progressive jackpot prize is typically determined by allocating a portion of the money wagered at each individual linked gaming machine to the progressive jackpot prize sum. Thus, the progressive jackpot value continues to increase until a player hits the progressive jackpot prize at one of the linked machines. Players at a casino are usually made aware of a progressive jackpot by its posting on a large screen, typically centrally located in relation to the electronically linked-together machines. Once the progressive jackpot prize is awarded to a player, a relatively rare event, the progressive jackpot prize amount is reset, typically to a predefined initial progressive jackpot prize value. The large awards offered by progressive jackpots are attractive to many players, and some progressive jackpots may reach into the millions of dollars.
While experiencing a certain degree of success, gaming machines linked together in competition for progressive jackpot prizes are hard pressed to maintain a player's interest, largely due to the fact that the large progressive jackpot prize is typically awarded only infrequently. Furthermore, the rare event of a progressive jackpot award results in players on progressively linked gaming machines primarily focusing on play at their individual gaming machines, rather than on competition against each other. Thus, the degree of player competition in progressive gaming machine play is nominal at best.
Lottery-type games are another form of quasi-competition among players. In a typical lottery-type game, players enter the game by selecting or randomly receiving a predetermined number of game elements (e.g., numbers) in hopes of achieving a winning combination of game elements to be randomly selected by the sponsoring entity. Typically, all entries must be in by a specified time deadline, whereafter the game elements of the winning combination are randomly selected by the sponsoring entity in a linear fashion, that is to say one digit of the winning number or numbers at a time and in sequence.
Because of the linear selection process, however, most of the players in the lottery-type game are rapidly excluded from winning large prizes during the initial selection of the winning game elements. Furthermore, there is typically a substantial lag time in lottery-type games between the entry of a player and identification of the winning combination as selected by the sponsoring entity. Thus, players in a lottery-type game only actively and briefly participate in the game during the purchase of an entry and subsequently during the selection process. Finally, the perceived level of competition, if any, between players is nominal and players typically do not even have to be present at the selection of the winning elements to win.
A further casino technique for maintaining a player's interest in a game of chance is through the sponsorship of tournament gaming events. To engage in tournament play, a player typically pays an entry fee, is awarded an initial number of credits, and plays continuously over a predetermined time period. At the end of the time period, awards are given to the players having earned, for example, the most wins and/or credits relative to their fellow tournament participants.
While tournament play fosters competition among players and provides for an extended period of time during which a player participates, tournament play may lack appeal to some players. First, only relatively few players taking part in a tournament will participate in any significant awards. Thus, some players who have achieved a substantial number of “wins” during tournament play may not receive any form of award, despite their perceptions of winning. Secondly, a player may not choose to enter a tournament because the available tournaments may only be scheduled at times inconvenient to the player. Furthermore, tournament play may take place over a protracted period of time, thus eliminating some participants who desire to play in a competitive environment, but who are unable to commit to the time required for a tournament session.
A still further method that has been used to motivate player interest involves the use of “racing games” wherein, for example, a bank of gaming machines is linked to several cars located on a centrally displayed “track.” In a slot machine example of such a racing game, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,998 to Seelig et al., the cars are linked to respective slot machines and move down the track a predetermined distance towards a finish line every time a special symbol appears on one of the machines' respective slot reels. Since the player whose car passes the finish line first is the winner, players are motivated to play at a faster rate in order to have more winning occurrences of the special symbol. The occurrences of the winning symbols, however, typically do not offer the player a chance for any type of award unless that player's car is the winner. Thus, a player whose race car is not advancing as quickly as others may become discouraged and lose motivation for faster play and/or to continue. Additionally, when the race ends, the player's investment in the game is lost, and the player may lose interest and seek out another game.
Thus, what is needed in the art are new gaming methods which both pique and maintain a player's interest through, for example, offering the potential for larger or more frequent payoff awards and appealing to a player's desire for competition by offering games in which the players may compete against other players, even while playing an individual game of chance on his or her gaming machine.